Too Close For Comfort
by rmoon-klaine-fan
Summary: Rachel appears to have the perfect life. She gets good grades, she's dating the star quarterback, and so on. but when rachel re-connects an old childhood friendship with Noah Puckerman, everything changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hai everyone! So, I've never uploaded anything here before, and this may suck, so bear with me. Anyways, these characters belong to glee and enjoy!**

Rachel Berry had the perfect life. Or so it appeared to her fathers.

She had great grades, she was a member of many school clubs, she was the star lead soloist of the school's show choir, and best of all, she was dating the star-quarterback, who also so happened to be the most popular guy in school.

However, Rachel's life did not appear so perfectly in her own eyes. She was tired of the names and the comments she received for being part of the glee club. She wished she had more free time and wasn't always working, and she had real friends to do spend her free time with. And lately, she wasn't even sure how she felt about dating Finn.

Yes, he continued to date her even though she was far from the most popular, or prettiest, or best-dressed girl in the school. Or even the nicest. But after the whole shock of the most popular guy in school choosing _her_, Rachel Berry, over Quinn Fabray (who just so happened to be the most beautiful girl Rachel had ever seen) had worn off, she started to notice his many flaws. He was completely oblivious, a little self-centered, not really the brightest, he didn't seem that into her, and lets be honest, sometimes he was just a flat out jerk. And it usually seemed like he was still more into Quinn.

She couldn't blame him, really. Quinn was beautiful. She was the girl everyone wanted to be. She was a cheerio. She was a great singer. She got great grades. And most of all, she was popular. Which appeared to be the main reason Finn appeared to kind of want her back.

Rachel didn't really care. In the small town of Lima, at her crappy old high school, Finn Hudson was as good as you get.

Rachel grabbed her textbooks from her locker and slid them in her bag, shutting her locker as she walked away. She always tried to look as confident as possible when she walked down these hallways. If she was going to be famous one day, she didn't want to be remembered here as that girl that tried to stay out of peoples ways and always came off as shy.

As she was walking home, she stopped off at the corner store and bought some healthy snacks to eat later while she did her homework. She walked up to the counter and placed her items so that the cashier could she then, and then reached down into her purse to pull out her wallet.

"That'll be $6.29," the cashier said.

"Crap," Rachel muttered quietly as she opened her wallet and realized she only had six bucks. She sighed and looked up at her items, deciding which one to put back when someone else walked up beside her.

"Need some help?" a voice came from beside her.

Rachel sighed. "A little."

"Here," Noah Puckerman said as he handed over a handful of coins to the cashier. "Keep the change."

Rachel grabbed her purchases and walked out with her neighbour.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it, it wasn't much."

Noah, or Puck, as other kids usually called him, had been friends with Rachel ever since they were little kids. Before they even went to McKinley High together, they had always been close as kids, seeing there were very few other kids that lived on their street. But of course, as all childhood friendship stories go, everything changed when they left middle school. Puck turned from a scruffy boy that put on a tough image (but was actually very sweet most of the time) to a full on bad-boy, pulling one bad stunt after another that eventually led up to his expulsion early that year. Of course, Rachel stayed her bratty, conceited self and stood by watching her old friend change right before her eyes.

Puck and Rachel had barely spoken after high school started, and even less so after he switched schools. In fact, Rachel couldn't remember the last time she spoke to Puck before this. But it was nice. They just generally chatted about life, how much homework there was in grade 10, their families, how Puck's new school in a different district was treating him. They talked all the way until they reached Puck's house, which was about three down from Rachel's.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you." Rachel said with a small smile.

"You too," Puck replied, honestly meaning it. "I'm gonna be honest, Rach, I really miss being friends and hanging out all the time and stuff."

"Same," Rachel said, honestly meaning that too.

After a short silence, Puck said, "well, lets change that. See if we can go back to how we were before. You free afterschool on Friday?"

"After five, I have cooking club until then."

"Okay, see you then."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok guys, another chapter already because these are really short. I hope you enjoy it!**

Rachel hadn't had this much fun in _ages_. She had been at Puck's house for hours, and they were now fully caught up on everything about each other. Rachel knew all about the crazy stunts he had pulled at his new school, how much trouble he had with math, who his new friends were and what they were like, and of course, who his latest hookups were with. But he had been honest about everything too, telling her about how he was actually trying to be good at math but it was hard, how he wasn't really sure about his new buddies and he missed his old friends from McKinley almost every day, and even though he still continued to hook up with random chicks all the time, he just felt it was because he hadn't found the right girl yet. This fact stuck with Rachel for a long time afterwards, and not just because it seemed so honest and out of character coming from her friend. However, she couldn't place her finger on quite why yet.

They continued to talk for hours, catching each other up on every important detail of their lives. Puck appeared to be having fun too. Rachel figured he felt the same way she did; he had never quite realized how much he missed being friends until he realized how much he had missed.

All of a sudden, when Rachel was in the middle of telling Puck about everything she had done since middle school, her phone started buzzing. Which was weird, considering she had almost no friends and therefore received almost no texts, ever. She opened her phone to see a message from Finn.

**Where are you? –F**

**At a friends house, why? We didn't have plans. –R**

**No but I came over to surprise you. Figured you probably had nowhere to be and I was bored –F**

**Oh. Well, I guess I'll come home soon, see you there. –R**

**See you –F**

Rachel sighed and turned back to Puck. "I'm sorry, it looks like I have to go now."

"So soon?" Puck replying, seeming honestly upset that Rachel had to go already.

"Yeah, sadly, but I'll see you soon, right?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, totally, you can stop by whenever you want. Call me later, we can pick a time so we can hang out again."

"That sounds awesome." Rachel replied. She stood up and gathered all her belongings and started to walk towards the door.

"See you soon," Puck said.

"See you," Rachel responded. She continued to walk out the door, but then she paused and turned around. "Oh, and Noah?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy were friends again."

"Me too, Rach. Me too."

When Rachel got home a few minutes later, Finn was not waiting at her door. She figured he probably just got bored waiting and found something better to do with his time, so she unlocked the door and walked into the kitchen to make a smoothie before continuing up to her room. She took her time, because she knew all that was waiting for her was homework and she didn't want to have to bother with that until later. In fact, what she wanted to do was think about how amazing her visit with Puck had gone. She honestly hadn't expected it to run so smoothly, more to turn out like an awkward short visit where after she left things would return to their usual normal between the two of them. But she couldn't have been more wrong. As she walked up the stairs, she thought about how after one visit, he already seemed to care about her more than her school friends, and how he actually listened to what she had to say. And even after putting up with her diva presence for a few hours, he still wanted to see her again soon. She walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, kind of happy to have the house all to herself.

"Oh, finally! I was tired of waiting here all by myself."

Apparently not. Rachel jumped, almost dropping her smoothie and bag on the floor. "What are you doing here, Finn? And how did you get in my house?"

Finn chuckled. "Easy now, no need to freak out. I told you I was coming over, right? I got tired of waiting outside, and I was about to find something better to do, but I realized your door was unlocked so I figured I would just wait in here." Rachel sighed. She knew that would be the reason when she saw that Finn hadn't waited for her.

"Also, I hope you don't mind, I raided your fridge a little." Rachel looked at the piles of unhealthy snacks he had brought up with him. "I kinda took all the good stuff, though, because your vegan food is nasty." Rachel gave him a look. "No offense."

Rachel gave an exasperated sigh. "What are you here for, Finn?"

"Well, I had nothing better to do and I figured that your always home, so I would just come chill here for a while," Finn gave her an annoyed look. "Guess I was wrong."

Rachel began to pick up Finn's garbage while Finn continued to interrogate her. "Where were you, anyways?" Finn asked.

"I was at a friend's house."

"Is that like, secret code for you were out doing something boring, or something that I'm not allowed to know about? Are you planning a surprise party for me?"

"No, its secret code for I was at a friends house."

"What friends?"

"You know what, Finn, I hang out with other people besides you!"

"Okay, calm down Rachel, I was just kidding!" Finn sat up a bit, chuckling.

"It wasn't very funny."

Finn didn't stay much longer. After a while, he started to get bored of just talking and decided to go home. The entire time, Rachel continued to think of the time she spent earlier with Puck, and how much nicer it had been. She realized that in all her time explaining her life story to him, she had so far neglected to mention Finn. But maybe it was better that way. For some reason she couldn't quite place her finger on, she wasn't so sure that she wanted Puck to know about Finn just yet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, this chapter is just a bit of an explanation piece and it's probably a bit boring, but necessary, so just bear with me :P**

Rachel continued to visit Puck on an almost daily basis. For weeks, she would go over and spend a few hours at Puck's house talking, watching movies, and other things. She really did enjoy his company. He was funny, and surprisingly nice at times for someone who put on such a bad boy image. Rachel felt she could talk about almost anything with Puck.

Except for Finn.

Maybe it was just because the right moment hadn't come up yet, but Rachel could not bring herself to tell Puck she actually had a boyfriend. At some times she felt like she should, like Puck should know about Finn. But she didn't even know how to begin to tell him that.

She knew she should tell him sooner rather than later; it would be a bit weird if after months of being friends Puck all of a sudden realized that Rachel wasn't single. But that wouldn't really matter to Puck, would it? Puck wouldn't care if Rachel were in a relationship.

But still, it felt weird that the person who knew her best on this planet, the person she was so honest with didn't even know such a large detail of her life.

And so, Rachel kept neglecting to tell Puck about Finn. It didn't really matter, did it?

Meanwhile, things with Finn were not running so smoothly. Finn didn't like that Rachel all of a sudden had this other friend, someone he didn't know, who Rachel was spending lots of her free time with. Finn liked it better when he could just show up at Rachel's house when he was bored. He liked it better when Rachel had no one else to pay attention to but him. But what seemed to bother him most was that Rachel never quite told him who this mystery friend _was_. Whenever he asked where she was or whom she was with, she always had a similar response: a friend, my neighbour, etc.

Rachel was in her room, thinking about her latest date with Finn, which had not gone so well. She sighed. If it wasn't for the fact that being the girlfriend of the school's stars quarterback made her dads so happy, she didn't know if she would still be with Finn anymore. Rachel didn't really want to be lonely, it was nice being able to tell people she had a boyfriend and having someone to turn to when she felt down. But lately she had noticed how Finn wasn't the same. He was not proud to say Rachel was his girlfriend. He tried not to mention it at school, or hang out with her and his friends at the same time. In fact, if she already had plans with him but his friends asked him to hang out. He would always choose his friends. Always. After this happened a couple times, Rachel started to notice that Finn was probably just embarrassed to have such a loser as a girlfriend. Rachel tried not to let this realization get her down, but it did hurt.

And the more it seemed like Finn didn't care about her, the more she hung out with Puck.

Being with Puck made her feel so much better than being with Finn. He listened to what she said, always comforted her when she felt down, and treated her way better than Finn did.

Rachel started to realize that Puck would probably be a way better boyfriend than Finn. He had all the qualities a great boyfriend would have. And Finn…didn't.

Sadly, Rachel knew she could never be with Puck for many reasons. Firstly, they were _friends_. They were close friends at that. Being with him after being friends for so long would just be…awkward. Wouldn't it? And he would probably never think of her that way. So that was definitely out of the question.

The other most important reason, though, was…her dads would _never_ approve. Well, Leroy wouldn't really care; he just wanted his daughter to be happy. But Hiram…Hiram would never let Rachel date a guy like Puck. He had strict, only nice boys that I approve of policies. He had his guidelines and ideas about what kind of guy Rachel should date, and Finn fit them perfectly. Or at least, Hiram thought he did. Whereas Puck…was about as opposite as boys could get for Hiram's idea for a good boyfriend.

And so, Rachel continued to date Finn, even though after her realization, she almost felt as if her feelings for Puck were beginning to change. She didn't know why, and she didn't want them to. All this could lead to was heartbreak, Finn breaking up with her, and even disappointment from her fathers. And so she pushed her feelings aside. Or she tried to. But it was _so hard_.

All of a sudden, Rachel was jolted from her thoughts when she heard a knocking on her door. "Come in," she absentmindedly called out, pulling out some homework so it looked like she had been doing something. She was expecting one of her fathers, or Finn, but she was wrong. She turned around to see Puck behind her. "Oh, hey."

"Hey Berry," he responded.

"What brings you here?" Puck sighed and sat on her bed. He began to explain how his math teacher had called about his latest work on his assignment, and how he needed to try better at keeping up in class. After hearing this, his mom had giving him this whole lecture on how he needed to smarten up, and if he didn't start getting his act together he was going to be sent to live with his aunt and uncle. All the while, Rachel continued to rub his back, stroke his hair, put her arm around his shoulder, _anything_ that would comfort him while he explained his situation.

"I don't know what to _do_, Rach, I've really been trying to keep up with math, I have! Its just so hard…"

"Tell you what," Rachel said to Puck. "I'm not that bad at math. If you come over every Tuesday afterschool, I'll tutor you to help you get better."

"Really?" Puck looked up. "You would do that for me?"

"Yeah, totally," Rachel replied.

"Thanks, Rach! You're the best." He said, giving Rachel one of the most genuine smiles he had ever seen. Rachel couldn't help but to smile back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, everyone! This is the first minor turning point in this story, so I hope I did it well. Enjoy! (Also, I realized the line breaks I was using before weren't working haha, so I hope I fixed that :P)**

…

"So if you multiply the _x_ variable out to _b_ and _c_…"

"No, Noah, you divide _y_ by _x_ so you can find _b_."

"But…what about _c_?"

"You don't do anything with _c_ yet, that's what the next step is for."

"Oh, screw this!" Noah Puckerman pushed his chair away from the desk and stormed over to the other side of the room. "What's the use, I'm never going to understand math!"

"Don't worry, Noah, it's all going to make sense eventually," Rachel replied. It always did.

They had been working like this for weeks. Rachel would try and explain a concept to Puck, and Puck wouldn't get it at first. After trying at it for a while, Puck would become extremely frustrated and have outbursts like these. After he had cooled off a bit and taken a break, Rachel would try and show him another trick for solving, and eventually he would understand and they would move on to another concept, and repeat. It was a long process, but slowly and surely, Puck's math skills _were_ improving. His grades were rising; calls home to the Puckerman's from Ms. Davis were less frequent. In fact, the last call hadn't been for quite a while. Rachel, slowly but surely, was helping Noah Puckerman become good at math.

Not like it was some hardship that Rachel had to spend hours every Tuesday with Puck. It felt like every day, her feelings for him were growing more and more, and therefore becoming harder and harder to deny. The idea of what Hiram would say to her if he ever found out helped keep her feelings on track most of the time, but it wasn't easy. It also didn't help that lately, she had begun to notice more and more things like, well, how big his muscles were. And…how nice his eyes were. And his natural tanned look. And how bad-boy his mohawk was. Rachel shook the thoughts from her head. Now was not a good time.

But it wasn't even his good looks that were so attractive. He was so sweet, a much better boyfriend that Finn could ever be capable of being. He was really funny, and much smarter than he appeared. And, unlike Finn, he _really_ seemed to care about Rachel. He came to visit her because he wanted to see her, not just because he was bored.

The worst part was that lately, she felt like her eyes were beginning to play tricks on her. She felt like _he_ was looking at her differently, too. Like he could feel like she does now. At times, it even seemed like he was trying to hold back unwanted emotions, or he treated her like he wanted to be more than friends. But that was crazy, wasn't it? Puck would never feel that way about her. There were just too many reasons why not. And she could go on forever, but…she couldn't now. Because she was _supposed_ to be tutoring said theoretical-perfect-boyfriend.

She turned around to see him staring at her expectantly.

"…Well?"

"Um, sorry, I missed what you said," Rachel said a bit awkwardly, cursing herself for letting her thoughts carry her away.

"Can we take a break now? I'm getting tired of all these numbers."

"Yeah, totally. Same. I mean…Great. Let's go downstairs and grab a snack."

Great. Not only did she have to be attracted to her parent's idea of the perfect example of the wrong guy for Rachel (not to mention that she was currently dating the right one), but now she had to get all tongue-tied around him, too?

…

"I have to admit, these vegan snacks look like crap, but they aren't half bad," Puck said through a mouthful of crackers.

"I'm glad you think so, not everyone I know shares the same opinions," Rachel said, thinking of how Finn rudely commented on how nasty vegan food was almost every time he walked in her front door.

"You know, Rach, to be honest, helping you pay for those snacks was one of the smartest decisions I made in a while," Puck said, emptying his mouth, "because if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have such an awesome friend-slash-super math tutor right now." Puck took a small pause before adding, "Not that that really says a lot, you know, because I don't really make a lot of smart decisions."

Rachel laughed before informing him that yes, although he did make a lot of dumb decisions, he really wasn't a bad guy, when you got down to it.

"I'm really glad you think so," Puck said honestly. "I do really like being a tough guy, its who I am, you know? But sometimes I feel like people don't think of me as anything more than that." Rachel smiled at him and let him continue. "That's why I really like being friends with you, Rach, because I know you do. You can tell, just by the way you talk to me, and treat me."

"You're a lot more than just some bad boy, deep down inside."

"I'm glad you know it. Which is one of the many reason why we're probably so close. And why I'm still happy I made that quick, unimportant feeling decision."

Puck took a long pause before continuing. "Which is why I'm hoping my next decision turns out just as well as the first one did."

"What would that be, Noah?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Rachel Berry, would you like to go to Breadstix with me this Friday?"

Rachel couldn't believe her ears. Literally. She figured they, along with everything else, were now playing tricks on her due to her newfound attraction to her neighbour.

But she continued to stare at her expectantly, awaiting her answer.

"Sure. I'd love to."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey readers! Sorry it took so long to update, I've been a little busy lately. Also, I really hope I didn't rush through this too much, I'm new to writing FanFic and…anyways. Enjoy! ****also, I would just like to say, I do not own the amazingness that is glee or any of these characters.**

…

Rachel giggled. "And you actually got away with that?"

"I can get away with anything, babe." Puck was in the middle of one his outrageous stories when the waitress arrived. Rachel took the momentary distraction to appreciate how well this date was going _already_. Things just felt so…so _easy_ with Puck in a way they never had with Finn, or anyone for that matter. Not with friends, or family, teachers, strangers…nothing felt as perfectly easy as talking to Puck. She had noticed it back when they were friends, too. She had been able to tell him anything. But now that they were dating…it was like being friends times 100.

And that went for anything. The feelings she felt for him before, how funny he was, how attractive he was, anything.

They continued to talk throughout dinner. By the time it was over, it was undoubtedly the best date Rachel had ever been on. There was no awkward silences, no weirdness, and Puck treated her much better than Finn, surprisingly. He complimented her on her outfit, he was sweet and funny, and he didn't even think twice about paying for dinner, whereas Finn usually "forgot" his wallet.

They mostly talked about the same things as when they were friends. How their day was, how was school, how much homework they had, what test next week was stressing them out the most. But now, Puck also complimented her on how good she looked, and Rachel did the same. They exchanged flirty jokes, and other things similar to that. Things that people on dates do. That Finn usually didn't. It was nice.

Puck took Rachel's arm in his as they exited BreadStix. "I have to be honest, Berry, I think this has been the best date I've ever been on."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Rachel said, smiling and moving in closer. They walked up to Puck's car and Puck opened Rachel's door for her. He got in on his own side and began to drive her home.

"So, if we both agree that we had lots of fun, I guess a second date isn't out of the question?" Puck asked.

"I'd be honored." Rachel replied with a smile.

"Great. I'll pick you up on Friday at 6."

"Where will we be going?"

"It's a surprise." Puck turned and smiled at her, and Rachel couldn't help but let her smile widen and blush a bit. Puck's smile tended to have that effect on her.

Puck reached out and took Rachel's hand. They rode all the way back to Rachel's house like that, sitting in comfortable silence. Finally, they pulled up in front of Rachel's house, too soon for Rachel, though.

"Looks like your parents have someone over," Puck said.

Rachel turned around and froze. _Crap_. This wasn't happening. No, this couldn't be happening.

Because of all things that could have gone wrong on her perfect date, it would be that her real boyfriend showed up to surprise her when she got home.

"Who even is that, any way?" Puck said. Luckily enough, he was unable to recognize the form of his ex-schoolmate…yet.

Rachel began to panic. What was she supposed to do? She had to distract Noah, or get him out of here…fast. But she didn't know if she could bring herself to lie to the one person who knew her best…although clearly she was going to have to try.

"Um…that's my…cousin! I think. I mean, it looks like him."

"Okay…" Puck seemed a little suspicious at her outburst, but kept quiet. "So, shall I walk you to your door?"

"No!" Rachel shouted. Now Puck looked really weirded out. Crap. Rachel took a moment to compose herself before moving on. "No, sorry, its just…my cousin can be a little weird and…I guess it would be a better way to end the night if you didn't end up meeting my strange family members."

_Please buy it, _please_ buy it._

Thankfully, this answer seemed to satisfy Puck. "Oh, okay. Believe me, I know plenty about that," he gave her a cheeky grin, "But that's a story for another date."

Rachel smiled and giggled before looking down. "Well, I guess this is goodnight then."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

Then, Puck leaned across the seat and closed in the distance between their lips. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to put butterflies in Rachel's stomach and send tingles right through her. She could honestly swear the fireworks she was hearing were real. It was like nothing she had ever felt before.

They pulled apart all to soon. "Well, night then Berry."

"Goodnight, Noah. See you soon."

Rachel got out of the car and crossed the street. She opened her front door to find Finn and her dads waiting for her. She tolerated them for about an hour, putting up with their lame conversation and answering all their questions about where she had been. And of course, she occasionally had to sit under the uncomfortable glares from Finn, who was still a bit miffed that she had a life besides him all of a sudden. After she had put up with all she could handle, she told the others she had to call it a night and went upstairs to bed. While she was getting ready and trying to sleep, she took deep, calming breaths and told herself to calm down. She needed to clear her head. Especially now, since she had _a lot_ of thinking to do.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay guys! Big turning point! I hope you enjoy it, and I'll try to update soon! Lemme know what you think, I'm sorry if its awful! Also, once again, I don't own glee or these characters. Enjoy!**

…

Despite the one minor scare on her first date, Rachel continued to date Puck. They went on more and more dates, and Rachel found that on each date she enjoyed herself more and more. Her dates with Puck became the highlight of her week, the one thing she looked forward most to. The only problem was, he still didn't know about Finn. And Finn still didn't know about him. And to be honest, the guilt eating away at her for the rest of the week was almost as much as the carefree bliss she felt on her dates with Puck. She was twice as stressed out as usual, and she was becoming irritable and disorganized. Everyone noticed the change. Her friends, her dads, Puck, even Finn. She didn't know how much longer she could go on like this, but at the same time, she didn't want to break up with Puck. She was honestly beginning to believe that she and Puck were made for each other, that he could be _the one_. But breaking up with Finn was out of the question. As far as her dads knew, she was in a perfect, loving relationship with one Finn Hudson and if all of a sudden she just broke up with him…first of all, they would tell her to stop being such a drama queen. But then they would get worried, there would be _questions_…and Rachel was almost positive she couldn't lie to her dads like that. And not only that, they still wouldn't approve of Puck, Finn or no Finn. So it would still mean dating him behind their backs. And Finn…well, with her luck, Finn would somehow or another find out about Puck. Not only that, he would be sure to get his revenge on her, most likely in a publicly humiliating way. And her friends would totally hate her…

Rachel shook the bad thoughts out of her head. She would figure it out somehow, just _later_. She didn't have time now. She was getting ready for her date with Puck, and she was supposed to be there…crap. Well, she was supposed to be there _now_.

Rachel finished getting ready and ran over to Puck's house.

Puck opened the door shortly after she knocked. "Hey, Berry, Looking nice."

"Thanks, Noah, you don't look half bad yourself."

Puck grinned. "Ready for our picnic?"

"Totally. Let's go."

…

"These sandwiches are great. You said your mom made them?"

"Yeah, I told her she didn't have to, but she wanted to."

"Aww, that's so sweet of her," Rachel said. "Be sure to tell her I say thank you."

"I will," Puck smiled. "She really likes you, you know."

"Really?" Rachel said, pleased.

"Yeah, she's really happy I'm dating a nice girl for once."

Rachel nearly chocked on her drink. All it took was one sentence, and there was that guilt again, eating away at her and constantly reminding Rachel that she was _not _a nice girl. Nice girls don't cheat on their boyfriends. Nice girls don't date boys their dads wouldn't approve of. Nice girls don't constantly to the boy they love most.

"Yeah…uh…I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back." Rachel stood up and rushed away, not even hearing Puck's response. She felt like she was going to cry. How had she gotten herself into this mess? Not that long ago, Rachel Berry had had the perfect life. She had the so-called perfect boyfriend, great grades, and she was the lead in a glee club full of people who were her friends, or at least tolerated her. But then she met Puck. Now, she was cheating on that not-so perfect boyfriend, her grades were slipping because she was so stressed out, she felt distanced from all of her friends, and lately most of the solos had been going to _Quinn_. Rachel stood there for a few minutes, trying desperately to compose herself. TV shows always made storylines like this look so glamorous, but in real life…it just hurt. But on the bright side, Rachel didn't see how it could get any worse from here.

Little did she know, not far from that park, her real, "father-approved" boyfriend was feeling a little bored, so he decided to check in on his girlfriend.

…

Puck was waiting for Rachel when he heard a buzzing noise. He looked down to see that Rachel had dropped her phone when she ran over to the washroom, and someone was texting her. Curious, he picked up the phone to read what it said.

**Hey Rachel, are you home? Or are you off with some friend again? –F**

Puck knew it was bad enough to read Rachel's incoming texts, but hey, what was the harm? He quickly shot back a quick reply to this (very rude) friend of Rachel's.

**Actually, she's out right now, but if you need to tell her something, I'd be happy to pass on the message for ya –P**

**Who is this? –F**

**A friend of Rachel's. What did you want to tell her? –P**

**Just tell her that her boyfriend is tired of her never being around and for her to text her back asap. –F**

…

_I'll figure it all out as soon as I got home_. Rachel took a deep breath and repeated that sentence to herself over and over in her head_ I'll figure it all out as soon as I got home_.. She couldn't handle all this stress anymore. If she continued on like this, she was going to have a complete breakdown.

But for now, one of her boyfriends was waiting for her at the picnic blanket and she couldn't keep him waiting any longer. So she took one last look in the mirror, inhaled deeply, and walked outside to face Puck. All she had to do was make it through another hour or so, and then she could go home and figure this all out.

She knew there would be hell to pay. The only way to get this off her chest was to come clean. But coming clean meant losing her dads trust, Finn, her friends and possibly even Puck. But these were all people she loved, and they deserved the truth. She couldn't lie to them anymore. Besides, wouldn't it be worse it they found out some other way?

There was Puck now. She could do this. It was just…an acting exercise! She just couldn't let Puck find out now, this way. So she had to put on a happy face and figure out the best way to let everyone know later.

"Hey," Rachel said.

"…Hey."

"What's up?" Rachel said, mildly concerned at the upset undertones in Puck's voice.

"Well, your boyfriend would just like to sayhe's tired of you never being around and for you to text her back soon."

"Wait…what?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Here's your phone." Puck tossed it at her, standing up. "I have to go."

The realization of what happened slammed into Rachel fast and hard. "Wait, no! Noah, wait! Please." Rachel called after him.

"I'm not sure about this, Rach. Just…" He looked at her, and she could see how much she had hurt him, how she broke his heart. And she had never felt worse about anything in her life. "Just give me some time to figure this all out." He began to walk away.

"No! Noah, wait! You don't understand, it's not like that! Noah!" He turned and looked at her. "I'm sorry."

Puck turned around and continued to walk away. Rachel watched him until her was out of sight, and then broke down into chest-wrenching, heartbreaking sobs. She fell over onto the picnic blanket, lying there in tears for hours, wondering how everything went so horribly wrong so fast.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, everyone! So, I don't really have much to day about this chapter, just that I hope you enjoy it! This is getting to the end of the major turning point, however, things aren't over quite yet. I hope that you all like this chapter and once again, I do not own these characters or in the case of this chapter, the songs used in this story. Thanks!**

…

It had been a few days since Rachel had last seen Puck. He hadn't talked to her since he found out about Finn. Rachel had always thought that maybe if someone found out, it would all get easier. With the secret out, the guilt would go away.

But it was still there.

Rachel's guilt from hiding Puck from her dad's and Finn from Puck was instantly replaced by a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that would not go away. Rachel felt terrible about what she had done to Puck. It was wrong, and not only that, now that he was gone, she felt like she needed him more than ever. _I guess what they say is true,_ Rachel thought, _you don't know what you have until it's gone_.

Rachel looked at her puffy, red face in the mirror and wiped her eyes. There was only 2 minutes left until class, and she didn't want to arrive looking like a wreck. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down for what felt like the billionth time this week. Crying in the bathroom had become a regular occurrence for Rachel. But as always, she controlled her uneven breathing and heartbroken sobs before class started and did anything in her power to make it through the rest of the day.

…

Rachel felt truly uncomfortable under the combined stares of everyone in the glee club. She tried to ignore them, but she could feel the multiple pairs of eyes burning into her skin and leaving a tingling sensation all over. No matter how hard Rachel tried to put on a happy face and act like nothing was wrong, it seemed like everyone in the glee club could tell something was up. They had tried to reach out and help, but Rachel continued to push them then away, claiming nothing was wrong. She didn't know who would understand what she was going through, who wouldn't hate her for what she did to Puck.

"So, Rachel, you up for a solo today?" Mr. Schue asked as he walked into the room.

Rachel put on a large smile and said in the brightest voice she could muster up, "No, Mr. Schue, that's okay. Why don't you give the solo to Tina? She hasn't had one in a while."

"Actually, Rachel, we were all thinking you should sing today. Clearly you've had something on your mind lately and you haven't quite been yourself. We know you aren't quite ready to share it quite yet, but we figured, you know, it might help to sing about it. You can sing whatever song you want, but we can all see your having a bit of a hard time right now and we think you need all the help you can get," Mercedes said.

"Look, guys, its okay! Yes, I'll admit, I've had a bit of a rough time recently. But I'm fine! Honestly. You guys really don't have to worry about me. Besides, I don't even think I'm ready to sing about it yet." Rachel said brightly. At least she was being partly honest.

There was a collective sigh from the other glee clubbers. They could all see something was bothering Rachel and they really wanted to help. None of them were used to seeing Rachel like this. She was usually so full of energy and never let anything get her down. But lately…

Mr. Schue opened his mouth to insist to Rachel again that she soloed today, but another voice came from the doorway before he could get his thought out.

"Well, if you're not ready to sing, I guess I am."

"…Puck?" Santana asked, her confusion obviously mutual between her and the other glee clubbers.

"Hey, Mr. Schue," Puck said, "I know I don't really go to McKinley any more and all, but I've had a rough time lately and there's been something I've been needing to say, and well, I the best way to figure out my thoughts to sing about it. I figured I could always come back here if I wanted an audience."

"Yeah, totally, Puck. Take it away."

Puck told the band what song he was planning on and took center stage as the opening began, and started to sing even better than Rachel had ever remembered him being before.

I never meant the things I said

To make you cry

Can I say I'm sorry?

It's hard to forget

And yes I regret

All these mistakes

I don't know why you're leaving me

But I know you must have your reasons

There's tears in your eyes

I watch as you cry

But it's getting late

Was I invading in on your secrets?

Was I too close for comfort?

You're pushing me out

When I wanted in

What was I just about to discover

When I got too close for comfort

Driving you home

Guess I'll never know

Remember when we scratched our names into the sand

And told me you loved me

But now that I find

That you've changed your mind

I'm lost for words

And everything I feel for you

I wrote down on one piece of paper

The one in your hand

You won't understand

How much it hurts to let you go

Was I invading in on your secrets?

Was I too close for comfort?

You're pushing me out

When I wanted in

What was I just about to discover

I got too close for comfort

Driving you home

Guess I'll never know

All this time you've been telling me lies

Hidden in bags that are under your eyes

And when I asked you I knew I was right

But if you turn your back on me now

When I need you most

But you chose to let me down

Won't you think about what you're about to do to me

And back down...

Was I invading in on your secrets?

Was I too close for comfort?

You're pushing me out

When I wanted in

What was I just about to discover

I got too close for comfort

You're pushing me out

When I'm wanting in

What was I just about to discover

When I got too close for comfort

Driving you home

I guess I'll never know...

Puck finished singing and looked down as the glee club applauded him. Throughout the performance, Puck's eyes had never left Rachel's once. Mr. Schue proceeded in wrapping up the meeting, thanking Puck and making a few announcements. Rachel, however, heard none of this. She and Puck continued to stare at each other, and as soon as the meeting was called to an end, Rachel followed him out into an empty classroom.

"Look, Noah, I am _so_ sorry about what happened. I've been so stupid, I really never meant to hurt you. I meant to go talk to you but I—"

"Who do you like better?"

"P-pardon?" Rachel spluttered out, caught of guard in the middle of her apology.

"I said, who do you like better? Me or Finn?"

"You," Rachel gulped, "it's always been you. It's just…my dads would never approve of a guy like you." Rachel looked down. "They think Finn is perfect, though."

"Rach, I only have one thing to say, and then I'll go and give you some time to think about it. But you have to stay quiet until the end," Rachel nodded, "Okay. Look Rach, I still…I still love you. I know what you did should have been unforgivable but to be honest, I've never met a girl before that I can have a real relationship with. Someone I can talk to, who is always there for me, all the sappy stuff you see with couples. I've never had anything like that. And I have never met anyone else that I think I could have something like that with. Only you. So I realized I could forgive you, that I wanted to forgive you. But I don't want it to be like before. I want it to be real.

"So, I will take you back and we can continue to go out as we did before, and move on past this event. Which I want to do…I really think we were going somewhere. But only on one condition," Puck paused to make sure he got his point across. "No more secrets." He looked Rachel in the eyes for a few seconds before moving on. "That means, first of all, you have to come clean to everyone you hid this from. Finn, your friends, and most importantly, your dads. Then, if there's anything else you think I should know, you need to tell the truth about that too. I want an honest relationship, Rach. Not something built off of lies. I want to be in love with you, not stories you've made up about you." Rachel looked down again, feeling on the verge of tears.

"Well…I guess that's all I have to say. I'll let you make up your mind. It's your decision. And when you've made your choice, just let me know." Puck walked up and gave Rachel a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Berry, see you later."

Rachel watched Puck walk out of the room and let a few tears fall slowly. She didn't move for a few minutes, but eventually walked out. She honestly felt like she had no more tears to cry. She walked down the halls and made her way outside. She honestly didn't care who saw the slightly distressed state she was in right now. She just wanted to go home.

And of course, through the drama of their conversation, neither Puck nor Rachel had noticed that the entire time, Finn had been watching their entire conversation through a window at the back of the classroom. And he had heard ever word.

…

**Songs:**

**Too Close For Comfort **by McFly


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok guys! So, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, sorry if it isn't very good. This is finally the end of the major turning point. I hope you guys have enjoyed all the drama so far, but fortunately for Rachel it all sort of calms down a bit after this. As always, I do not own any of these characters or the song used in this story*. Enjoy!**

…

"Well, Rachel, you're looking much better today," Mercedes said as Rachel walked into the choir room.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better, too." Rachel said, honestly meaning it. Since last week's glee rehearsal, Rachel had been contemplating what exactly to do about the whole Puck thing. She knew she was going to take Puck back, she had to. She fell more in love with him every moment they were apart. She just didn't know how to break it to everyone. She was systematically going through songs in her head that would express what she needed to say, however, she had not yet thought up of a song that expressed "Dear Dads/friends/boyfriend, I've been lying to you and I actually have another boyfriend who I am in love with and I am choosing him. Sorry."

Luckily, she also hadn't run into Finn this week. She didn't want to deal with him right now. Being around him would just be so…awkward. And what if he tried to kiss her? Oh god. On one hand, she was looking forward to coming clean and breaking up with Finn, seeing she didn't really feel that way about him anymore. Especially since he started getting annoying and rude. But on the other hand…he was a nice guy. Usually. He hadn't recently, but they had been going kind of good before that. She just didn't want to hurt him _too_ badly. She really hoped he wouldn't take it the wrong way. Who knows? Maybe they could still be friends.

If she could just make it through this glee club meeting without having to talk to him much, or at all, she'd be okay.

"Hey guys!" Mr. Schue entered the choir room. "Rachel, you're looking a little better today."

"Yeah, we were just talking about that," Mercedes said.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better, thanks Mr. Schue," Rachel said.

"Glad to hear it. Now, let's get started." Mr. Schue said. He looked up from the sheet music he was holding to realize something was amiss. "Where's Finn?"

Everyone turned and looked at Rachel. "Um, I'm not quite too sure, actually…"

"I'm right here," a voice called from the doorway. A slightly disheveled looking Finn stood there for a brief second before walking in to the center of the room. "Mr. Schue, can I sing a song today?"

"Yeah, of course, Finn. Take it away."

"Thanks," he turned to look at his fellow glee club members. "This is for my darling girlfriend, Rachel." He gave her mockingly sweet smile. "I hope you enjoy this, honey. I mean every word I'm saying."

Rachel smiled and nodded uncertainly, feeling slightly unsettled by Finn's strange entrance and song dedication.

Finn took center stage and began to sing.

_You've always been this way since high school_

_Flirtatious and quite loud_

_I find your sense of humor spiteful and_

_It shouldn't make you proud_

_And I know your pretty face gets you far with the guys_

_But your make up ain't enough to hide the lies_

_Are you sure_

_That you're mine_

_Aren't you dating other guys?_

_You're so cheap and_

_I'm not blind_

_You're not worthy of my time_

_Somebody saw, you sleep around the town_

_And I've got proof because_

_The words going around_

_Don't know you_

_You left your phone so I invaded_

_I hated what you saw_

_You stupid lying b*tch who's Noah?_

_Some guy who lives next door_

_So go live in the house of Noah if you like_

_But be sure he don't know Finn, or Sam_

_Or Mike_

_Are you sure_

_That you're mine_

_Aren't you dating other guys?_

_You're so cheap and_

_I'm not blind_

_You're not worthy of my time_

_Somebody saw, you sleep around the town_

_And I've got proof because_

_The words going around_

_Don't know you_

_And I know_

_That you try_

_To break me into pieces_

_And I know_

_That you lie_

_But you can't hurt me now_

_I'm over you_

_Are you sure_

_That you're mine_

_Aren't you dating other guys?_

_You're so cheap and_

_I'm not blind_

_You're not worthy of my time_

_Somebody saw, you sleep around the town_

_And I've got proof because_

_The words going around_

_Don't know you_

_Don't like you_

_Don't know you_

When Finn finished singing, the whole room sat in complete and utter silence.

Then suddenly, a voice spoke up and broke the awkward tension that had settled over the room.

"What the _hell_?" Artie said.

All of a sudden, the entire choir room has broken out in protests.

"Hey, guys, cool it. Calm down guys." Mr. Schue shouted over the loud complaints of the glee club. "Guys!"

Finally, he got everyone to quiet down and pay attention. "Now, Finn, would you like to explain what exactly is going on?"

"I don't know, Rachel, would you like to tell them yourself?"

"I-I don't…" Rachel looked confused. _This can't be happening._

"Oh, don't play stupid with me! C'mon Rachel, tell them all. Tell them about your stupid other boyfriend, the one who you told you like better than me. Or was that a lie too? You just wanna keep both of us for yourself, don't you?"

"…What?" Rachel said. _How did he know?_ She looked around at the confused and angry faces of her fellow glee members, whose eyes were slowly turning towards her one by one as they started to realize what was going on.

Her first immediate reaction was Puck must have told him. The two of them planned this together to get back at her for what she did. And she couldn't blame them. She deserved it.

But Puck would never do something like this to her…would he? No. No, there had to be another reason.

"Or is there even more guys? What other secrets are you keeping? Would you care to explain Rachel?" he looked at her dumbfounded expression before explaining. "Oh, stop pretending like you don't know. I _saw_ the two of you talking in that classroom after he came and sang for us last week. So touching, that little speech of his. Really kind of him."

"…What?" Kurt said, looking at Rachel with one of the most disgusted confused expressions Rachel had ever seen in her life. Worse, all the other glee members had the expressions written on their faces. All her _friends _had the same expressions on their faces.

"Yeah, what exactly is going on here?" Tina said.

"Little darling Rachel here is also dating Puckerman. Why do you think she's been acting so weird lately? And why was she always hanging out with some other friend?" Finn announced to the whole club. "It all makes so much sense now, doesn't it?"

The angry silence that fell over the glee club answered that question.

"You know what, though? I'm so done with you. You and Puck can go have fun somewhere else. I don't care anymore." Finn turned around and started to walk out. "Ugh, I am _so_ over girls." He stopped to kick over a chair, as he usually did when he was angry, and stormed out.

The whole glee club sat in an awkward silence, the tension in the room so thick you could cut it with a knife. Even Mr. Schue was stunned speechless.

"Well, whoever thought that innocent little Berry here could be such a little home wrecker?" Santana said.

"_Santana._" Mr. Schuster said.

"What? Its true." Santana said playfully. Rachel looked like she was about to cry.

"Uh, well, I think that's enough for today guys. Glee club is dismissed."

Everyone stood up and walked out of the room, not hesitating to through Rachel a few dirty looks over their shoulders as they left. Mr. Schue led them out, giving Rachel, who was yet to move, a concerned look over his should as he exited the room.

After Mr. Schue had left and the door was shut, Rachel put her hands over her face and began to sob.

…

**Songs:**

**Who's David **by Busted

*_Please note: _I changed some of the lyrics to make the song work better with the story. The changes are as follows:

_You stupid lying b*tch who's David?_

_Some guy who lives next door_

_So go live in the house of David if you like_

_But be sure he don't know Peter, John,_

_Or Mike_

Otherwise, all the lyrics are the originals from the song.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, everyone! So, I'm kind of getting really close to the end of this story, and it's not going to be as interesting from here. And by interesting I mean dramatic. I kinda hope you guys still find this story interesting (: ANYWAYS, sorry if this chapter's a little short or slow, I hope you enjoy it anyways! As always I do not own glee. **

…

Rachel still couldn't believe this was happening.

It had been days, almost a week, since Finn had confronted her at glee club. None of the other glee clubbers had spoken to her since. She ate lunch alone. She didn't talk to anyone in class. And worse of all, rather than spending her free time with her friends, she spent it thinking about how everything fell apart so quickly.

Just a few weeks ago, Rachel Berry had everything she wanted. Well, besides from the whole fame and fortune thing. But as far as her high school dreams went, she pretty much had them all fulfilled. Before stuff began to fall apart, even before she and Puck had randomly met at the corner store and everything had gone wrong, her life had been as perfect as it had ever been for Rachel Berry. She once had been very happy with Finn, believe it or not. At first, dating the star quarterback had made her feel special. He had to have seen some potential in her, for the most popular boy in school (who she had a total crush on) to pick _her_, a total glee club loser, over, say, Quinn Fabray. Things had run pretty smoothly at first. He listened to what she said, took her out for dinner, and didn't seem too embarrassed by her around school (or so she though). But after the magic of dating a popular boy wore off, Rachel started to see what Finn really was-just another high school boy. He wasn't any different from any other videogame-loving, football-playing, sweaty, smelly boy at her school. He didn't always pay attention to her, and she often caught him staring at other, prettier girls. She didn't always feel appreciated by him, and for good reasons, too. He was always distracted by something more interesting when it was around. And she hated to admit it, but he could be a little dim at times, too.

Rachel thought when things originally started to fall apart was when Rachel started to notice his flaws, not when she first felt feelings for Puck, or when people discovered her secrets. Rachel Berry was a star, and she needed a boyfriend who treated her like a star, or was a star themselves in their own way. Finn did not always treat her like she felt she deserved to be treated, and although he may be the star of McKinley High, he was the same every other Ohio high school boy. Puck on the other hand, treated her like a star all the time. And he was special. He was honestly good on the inside, and different from everyone else. Noah Puckerman was a star.

When she realized Finn's imperfections, she started to question reality a bit. Not even in a logical way. It was more along the lines of, "If the star of the school was so average, then what else is true? Am I even really a star myself? Do people notice that? Do they think I'm a fake? Is that why no one likes me?" These thoughts were followed by feelings of loneliness, which lead Rachel to believe she had no friends and her perfect life was a shallow image of a clichéd teenager, with no real meaning behind it whatsoever. And that was the exact reason her everything fell apart. Because Rachel was a _drama queen_.

If Rachel had just kept her head clear and realized McKinley boys were not for her, she could have just broken up with Finn and then when her and Puck's friendship blossomed into romance, she could have dated him freely. She was sure she could convince her dad's that Puck was a great boy and Rachel would have been totally fine. But no, instead, she got all dramatic and rather than thinking clearly, she let things go further and further wrong…and look where that got her.

All Rachel wanted now was for everything to go back to how it was. Back when her friends didn't hate her, when she had perfect grades, when life had been carefree and easy. All she wanted was a second chance.

Rachel sighed and stared down at the endless sheets of math homework in front of her. If she kept getting distracted, there was no way she could finish this on time. The last thing she needed was another after-class discussion by one of her teachers. Especially because at this point, it would probably lead to a call home.

Rachel pushed her thoughts aside and started another row of trigonometry questions. She didn't even get what the point of learning this stuff was. Rachel was pretty sure you never used trig unless you wanted to be an architect or something. And Rachel didn't want to be an architect. Rachel Berry was born to be a star.

Rachel made it through a page or two more before the slammed her head down on the desk and groaned. Math was so _hard_. And to be honest, all she wanted to do right now was lie down on her bed and cry.

"Knock, knock!" a voice called from outside Rachel's door before it was pushed open.

"Hey, Hiram. Hi Leroy." Rachel said at the sounds of her dad's entering her room.

"Hey, Rachie, what's up?"

"Nothing much, just some homework. Why?"

"What, are dads not allowed to check in on their daughters just because they want to visit?" Leroy said.

"No, sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Actually Rachel, your right. We came to ask if everything was all right. You've been acting a bit off lately, and you seem a bit sad. Is something bringing you down?" Hiram asked.

"Well, school's been a bit tough lately, but don't worry, I'm fine." Rachel said, putting on a bright smile.

"Oh…Okay," Hiram responded, hoping Rachel would open up to whatever was upsetting her. He and Leroy knew something was going on with Rachel; she hadn't been herself at all lately. But if there was one thing the two of them knew about their daughter, you couldn't force an answer out of her if she wasn't willing to tell it to you.

"Well, here's an idea, why don't you have your boyfriend over for a big family dinner this Friday? I haven't seen him in a long time, and I'd bet he'd love to spend the evening over." Leroy said, hoping to cheer up his daughter a bit.

"Well, actually…" Rachel responded.

"What? They two of you aren't in a fight, are you?" Hiram said, concerned.

"No, not quite, its just…" This was it. This was her big chance to come clean. "I need to tell you guys something."


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok everyone! This is the last "official" chapter of my story. I hope you guys have enjoyed it so far, and I really hope I didn't mess it all up with the ending. Thanks for all the support and I really hope you enjoy the ending! Once again, I do not own the characters or songs used in this story.**

…

Back when Rachel had still been with Puck, constantly paranoid of someone discovering her secret, she had constantly imagined different scenarios of what would happen when she came clean. She had come up with multiple situations for everyone; her friends, Finn, Puck, and her dads. She had imagined best case and worse case scenarios. Her friends would be shocked that there was someone else in Rachel's life, but seeing the stress she was under, they would help her through it and stay by her side no matter what. Puck would hate Rachel for what she did, but at the same time, he wouldn't know what to do with himself after the best thing in his life was gone, and would proclaim his love for her as well as his confused pain inside in a dramatic suicide letter found days later in his bedroom. Each one was more melodramatic than the last. In either case, though, they were all either very happy-ending or extremely dramatic, dark worst-case scenarios.

When she imagined what would happen when she told her dads, the two most generic scenarios were of course, one positive and one negative. In her most positive scenarios, of course her fathers were a bit disappointed with Rachel, but at the same time they understood the hardship and stress of a teenage love-triangle and gave her a deep, heartfelt speech about having to listen to her heart to make the right decision and how they would accept her either way. The negative situation usually ended with Rachel being kicked out of the house.

Rachel had to admit, the way her parents had treated her in the moments before she confessed, she had honestly believed their reactions where going to be a little similar to the more positive reaction.

And it was that exact belief that made her all the more shocked when they found out the truth.

…

"And that's why I've been acting strange lately. I'm really sorry. I know what I did was wrong, and I deserve everything I got. I know it was wrong, but I'll never do it again. I've learned my lesson. Do you…do you guys understand?" Rachel had half-choked out through her sobs.

Her dads sat and stared at her in dead silence. They did not move a muscle.

"Well?" Rachel said anxiously.

Slowly, Hiram and Leroy began to clap.

"That was brilliant, Rachel." Hiram said in shock.

"The emotions…it all felt so real, so sincere. Whatever role you're trying out for, you have it in the bag, Hun." Leroy said.

"What? No!" Rachel said. 'No, you don't understand."

"Understand what? That was amazing." Hiram said. He almost looked…proud.

"No. No, you…that wasn't a performance." Rachel stumbled over her words, not quite sure what to say. She had never been thrown into such a random situation in her life.

"What…what do you mean?" Leroy said, smile fading.

"You're not serious…are you?" Hiram said. "Are you?" The two of them seemed unable to process the information.

"Well…" Rachel said.

"No. No, you're not serious." Hiram said. Rachel gave him a confused look. "You're not serious, because no daughter of mine would cheat on her boyfriend. I did not raise any children that deceived everyone they loved over foolish teenaged secrets."

"No, it's not like that! Well…maybe a bit…. Okay, I'm sorry! Truly, I am. I never meant for this to happen. I was being a selfish, foolish drama queen and I'm sorry. I was being stupid, and now I've messed everything up. Everyone hates me, and I deserve it. Everyone hates me but Puck. You don't even know how bad I feel about putting him through this. He doesn't deserve this. He may put on a bad boy image, but when you get to know him, he's actually a very sweet, kind boy who really cares! He's better than any boy in McKinley could ever be if they tried."

"Oh, you're sorry for putting him through all this? What about us? We sit around with a depressed, secretive daughter who refuses to talk to us for weeks, and when she finally opens up that she's been all weird lately because she's a two-timing little…!" Hiram managed to stop himself before he said something he would regret. Of all the times Rachel had felt like she was going to cry over this mess, this was the worst. This was her _dad_. Her own dad was sitting here, yelling at her and basically calling her a slut.

"You know what, though, this isn't _my _fault," Hiram said, "In fact, Rachel, it probably isn't even your fault. That boy probably just seduced you into doing this. I've seen that boy, he's bad news. But you still let it happen. I can't believe you. I thought you knew better than this." He looked disgusted and started to walk out. Just before he closed the door, he turned around and looked in. "Oh, and if I haven't made this clear, you are never to speak to that boy again." He slammed the door.

Rachel had never felt so disgusted with herself in her whole life. Hiram had every right to react like that, what she did was wrong.

She looked up at Leroy. "I'm sorry."

"I know Rachel, I just…I don't know." He looked at her with tears in his eyes, "Don't even ask me what that means. I love you but…I never expected this. I can't believe you…" he sighed. "I have to go."

Rachel had imagined a lot of situations. But none of them felt this bad. Hiram's anger made her feel disgusted with herself and Leroy's confusion made her feel so disappointed with herself she felt sick. It would have been a lot easier if they just kicked her out.

…

Rachel managed to somehow continue on with life. She didn't know how. Hours, days, even weeks began to slip by without her noticing. Her grades slipped to an all time low. She isolated herself from her peers. She showed up to glee club less and less, until she almost stopped showing up altogether.

One day, she was called into the guidance office. She and Miss. Pillsbury had a long talk, which ultimately ended up with one clear solution: she had to pick up the pieces of her broken life and move on. And she had the perfect first step.

…

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Quinn asked as Rachel entered the glee club.

"Yeah, you haven't shown up to glee club in weeks," Mercedes said.

"Well, I've decided to stop moping around and to pull my life back together. And if it's not to much to ask, I was wondering if I could sing a song today?"

"Sure, Rachel, take it away." Mr. Schue said.

_It's only been a day_

_But it's like I can't go on_

_I just wanna say_

_I never meant to do you wrong_

_And I remember you told me baby_

_Something's gotta give_

_If I cant be the one to hold you baby_

_I don't think I could live_

_Now I'm so sick of being lonely_

_This is killing me so slowly_

_Don't pretend that you don't know me_

_'Cause that's the worst thing you could do_

_Now I'm singing such a sad song_

_These things never seem to last long_

_Something that I never planned on_

_Help me baby I'm so sick of being lonely_

_The stuff is in my house_

_So many things I cant ignore_

_Your coats still on the coach_

_Your photos on my freezer door_

_And I remember you told me baby_

_Something's gotta give_

_If I cant be the one to hold you baby_

_I don't think I could live_

_Now I'm so sick of being lonely_

_This is killing me so slowly_

_Don't pretend that you don't know me_

_That's the worst thing you could do!_

_Now I'm singing such a sad song_

_These things never seem to last long_

_Something that I never planned on_

_Help me baby I'm so sick of being lonely_

_I am so lonely_

_And I remember you told me baby_

_Something's gotta give_

_If I cant be the one to hold you baby_

_I don't think I could live_

_Now I'm so sick of being lonely_

_This is killing me so slowly_

_Don't pretend that you don't know me_

_That's the worst thing you could do!_

_Now I'm singing such a sad song_

_These things never seem to last long_

_Something that I never planned on_

_Help me baby I'm so sick of being lonely_

_I am so lonely_

_I am so lonely..._

…

Later that night, Rachel heard voices downstairs. It sounded like her dads had people over. She knew it probably wouldn't be the best idea to go visit, but her curiosity got the better of her and she crept downstairs.

When Rachel peeked downstairs, what she saw surprised her. A group of the glee kids were talking down, and judging by the pleading tones in their voices, they were asking a favor of her dads. A favor they were denying.

"But _please, _Mr. Berry's, she's really been through a lot she…Oh, hi Rachel."

"Um…hi," Rachel said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Go back upstairs, Rachel." Hiram said, Rachel did as she was told, and retreated to her room. From behind her, she could hear broken pieces of her fellow glee clubber's pleading sentences.

After a while, it sounded like a lot less voices where downstairs, so Rachel figured the crowd had left. However, she still stayed upstairs, working on her homework. She figured that it would be better to let her parent's have their space.

Rachel finally finished her homework and began to practice doing some runs while brushing her hair. The glee kids had been gone for a while. She still didn't know why they were even here in the first place; they still hadn't gotten over what she had done to Finn and Puck. She figured she would find out tomorrow, anyways.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on Rachel's door. "Yes?"

"Could you come downstairs for a second, Rachel?"

"Yes, one second."

Rachel put her brush down and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She took a deep breath and walked downstairs.

Rachel was walking downstairs, lost in though about what exactly it could be that her parents wanted, when she stopped. Out of everything she had been prepared to see, and after everything she had been through, nothing had left her this speechless. In fact, Rachel did not think she had been so surprised in her whole entire life.

Her dads were not alone, and the glee club was no longer there with them either. No, standing _right there_ with her fathers at this very moment was the last person she had ever expected to see.

"…Noah? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Berry."

"What's going on?" Rachel asked her dads. She had managed to make it down the stairs, but now it was as if she was now frozen to the floor at the bottom.

"Well, Rachie, some of the glee kids stopped by earlier to convince us to let you see Puckerman here again." Leroy said.

"It took a little convincing, but when they saw your performance in glee today, and heard about how you were trying to pull yourself together, it moved something in them. And they would not leave until they had us convinced that we should at least talk to Noah, see what he was like and see if we should let you guys have a second chance," Hiram said. "And they did. So we got him over here and had a little chat. And what do you know? He actually sounds like a more decent guy that Finn ever was."

"And yes, before you ask, they have informed us about the low quality standards of McKinley boys." Leroy smiled.

Rachel stood there in utter silence. She didn't know what to think.

"I…But…Really?" Rachel managed to splutter out.

"Yes, really," Puck answered for them. "C'mere, Berry." He opened his arms out for a hug.

Rachel ran forward and hugged him tighter than ever before, with no intention of ever letting him go again.

"I think she should give them a minute, don't you, Leroy?" Hiram said.

Leroy nodded and the two of them headed upstairs. Not that Rachel even noticed. She was too busy sobbing into Puck's shoulder.

"You…you actually came back for me? You don't hate me after what I did?"

"I told you, I still love you. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I understood why you did what you did," Puck explained. "You were in a bit of an interesting situation."

"There was no reason for me to do what I did," Rachel said sadly, "I was being stupid."

"Hey, were only human. We're all stupid at one point or another."

"But…"

"No buts. What, the way you're protesting, its almost like you _want_ me to hate you!" Puck laughed.

"No! No, its just…everyone else hates me. I don't get why you don't. I treated you the worst," She gulped, "and I truly am sorry."

"Don't be so sure about that, the glee kids that stopped by today didn't seem to upset, and your dads seem fine now."

Rachel looked up at him. Their eyes made contact. When she looked into his eyes, at that very moment, when she saw absolutely no trace of hatred or sadness, that's when she finally felt the change. Puck's eyes only reflected the love she felt for him. And it was the first sign things were about to get better. Honestly, either way, things could only get better where she was, which was pretty much rock bottom.

All of a sudden, after all the times over the past month she had spent crying over the past few weeks, even though she thought she had no tears left to cry, she realized she had a few left to shed. And no force on earth or heaven could stop them.

"I'm so happy you're back!" Rachel cried out, letting the tears fall freely and pulling Puck close.

"Same here," Puck said, before pulling Rachel into a deep, passionate kiss. They stayed there fore a while, kissing and enjoying each other's company. Rachel had not intention of letting Puck out of arm's reach any time soon. This reunion was everything she could have ever asked for, and it was beyond the best-case scenarios she had been dreaming up recently. It was the perfect way to mark the beginning of a new time for Rachel. Where finally, after all the mistakes she had made, and all the ways she had paid for them, things were finally going to be okay. It was the beginning of a time where things could only get better for Rachel Berry.

…

**Songs:**

**Lonely **by McFly


	11. Epilogue

**Ok, everyone, I decided to make a sort of epilogue to my story to tie up a lot of the loose ends I left. Before I start I would just like to say, thanks to everyone for all the support and to everyone who actually read this… This is the first time I have ever really written a fanfiction and I really hope I kind of didn't mess it all up with the ending. Sorry if its awful and you hate it. I understand that there was a very short time that Puckleberry was actually together, and the turning point took up most of the story. I noticed the quality of the story take a serious drop after about chapter 7 or 8. I noticed I rushed through the parts people wanted to read and went **_**on and on**_** about Rachel's depressing thoughts. I guess that's just sort of how the story worked out. ANYWAYS, I'll stop ranting now and get on with it, but thank you **_**so much**_** to anyone who reviewed, especially my few dedicated reviewers who gave some awesome, useful feedback that I worked into my story. And for the last, time, I do not own glee, or any of the characters or songs used in this story.**

…

So, finally in the end everything worked out for Rachel Berry.

After the few weeks of insane drama, things were finally beginning to calm down. After the dust settled and things went back to as normal as they could be, Rachel finally discovered who her true friends were. Things never went back to the way things were with the people who sided with Finn. With them, things always ranged from awkward almost as far as true dislike for each other. Rachel wouldn't say anyone in glee club was her enemy, no. But she just never got along with any of the people who sided with Finn the same way. They often fought or shot down Rachel's ideas in the club, and she never had so much as a friendly chat with them anymore.

On the other hand, the people who had ultimately taken her side were the people Rachel realized she could trust. All the kids who had gone to Rachel's house that night and talked to her dads were the people she realized were her true friends. It wasn't like she suddenly became best friends with all of them; some just remained acquaintances while she grew rather close with others. But no matter how close they were, she knew she could rely on them when she needed a helping hand.

Rachel's dads accepted Rachel's relationship with Puck pretty quickly over that. After they took the time to get to know him, they began to see through his bad boy image to the guy he really was. After that, they were actually…really supportive of them dating. They actually came to realize that Puck was not only as good as it was going to get in Ohio, but actually very well suited to Rachel, and probably as good as it was going to get for Rachel, too. Puck treated her like the star she really was.

It took time, but even Finn got over what Rachel did to some extent. After he regained some of his pride (and a new girlfriend), he pushed what happened aside. He didn't need it holding him back, he didn't want people talking about it anymore, and he just sort of wanted to forget about it. Which was perfectly understandable. Of course, her and Finn didn't even attempt to pull the lame, "Can we still be friends?" thing. They both very well knew that they wouldn't be fooling anyone, even themselves. But they tolerated each other. And that was enough.

And of course, Puck. After Rachel's dads let them be together, they decided it was best to just continue from where they left of. They couldn't pretend it never happened, or just start fresh. What Rachel did couldn't be forgotten, but it could be ignored. They just put it in the past and moved on. All was forgiven.

And after learning her lesson, Rachel realized that sometimes telling the truth can hurt, but lying can hurt more, and your lies will always catch up with you in the end.


End file.
